


cough syrup

by wrathwake



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Engagement, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mild Blood, POV Felix Hugo Fraldarius, POV Sylvain Jose Gautier, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, some nice hurt/comfort for you sylvain kinnies out there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29673342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrathwake/pseuds/wrathwake
Summary: Sylvain hates the snow. He hates the cold, and every damn snowflake that falls in his hair.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	cough syrup

**Author's Note:**

> My first published sylvix fic! I've been a fan of the game since April, hope you enjoy.

_ Present - Sylvain _

Sylvain hates the snow. He hates the cold, and every damn snowflake that falls in his hair. He closes his eyes, imagining he’s back on that beautiful beach he visited with Felix for his birthday. The rough sea breeze and the soft burning sand, the sun beating down, a pleasant kind of pain.

The cold is biting and relentless. Sylvain was lucky that he was hot-blooded as he is, layering clothes was not an issue. Felix, on the other hand, was still trembling under his five or so layers. Sylvain nudges him with an elbow as they continue their trudge down the path.

“If you want me to cuddle you, just ask,” Sylvain drawls, adjusting the scarf around his mouth. Felix only huffs in response, a ghostly waft emitting from his face mask. This hike wasn’t exactly planned, but they were almost to the Fraldarius cabin. While Sylvain hates the idea of being in this place for a week, he can bear it with Felix. Maybe if he can convince his fiance to never leave his side by the fireplace, they’ll be leaving in the blink of an eye.

They finally arrive at the doorstep, and after a moment of Felix jamming the key into the frozen metal of the keyhole, the door creaks open and they hurry inside, tugging off their boots and dropping their bags. It’s still just as freezing inside, but while Sylvain takes his time putting up his coat on the hooks, Felix beelines to turn on the gas. The cabin looks just the same as always, albeit the dust here and there. This cabin has less and less visitors over the years. The dull white paint could at least use a touch up. Sylvain peels off his gloves and lets his hand drag across the stairwell handrail as he makes his way upstairs to the bedrooms.

He walks right past Felix and Glenn’s old room and opens the door to the master bedroom. The family portraits that used to decorate the walls are long gone, only a slight mark against the paint remains of them. Felix probably took them down at some point and put them in the attic. His old bedroom had been prohibited to enter for a long time and Sylvain understood completely, not letting his nosy behavior break that boundary.

“Sylvain? We need firewood,” Felix calls from downstairs. Sylvain shuts the door behind him as he heads back down to the living room. Felix is still bundled up. “It should be around back, could you please go get some.”

“I just took off my coat, babe,” Sylvain whines, but heads out the back door in just his sweater anyway. Sure enough, bundles of logs line the back of the house, but they may need to go out and get more in a few days. Sighing, he grabs a bundle from a pile and winces at the splinters. A strange feeling sits in the pit of his stomach, but he ignores it and goes back inside, kicking the door close.

“What’s that face?” Felix remarks, raising an eyebrow.

“The frostbite settling in, you ice prince. Sending me into the cold all vulnerable,” Sylvain says as he chucks in the wood into the fire pit. He looks up to Felix, who is completely unfazed. “So cruel,” Sylvain pouts. Felix rolls his eyes.

“You were outside for like 30 seconds,” Felix mutters, busying himself with crumpling up newspaper and tossing it in with the logs. He lights a match, then pauses. “Let’s stay in today,” he says, almost like he had just come to a conclusion. Sylvain tilts his head at him, but Felix just flicks the match into the fireplace and closes the grate. He finally looks down at Sylvain, his gaze softening. “It really is too cold outside.”

Sylvain stands up and flings his arms around Felix, pulling him into a tight hug. “So, that means we can cuddle now?”

“Yeah, yeah, warm me up you big idiot,” Felix says, all annoyed but Sylvain can feel the smile against his neck. 

Still holding him tight, Sylvain waddles to the couch and crushes Felix under him. He straddles Felix, tugging at his top coat. “You're a damn Russian doll right now,” Sylvain says with a laugh. Felix pushes at Sylvain’s chest, but helps in taking off his top winter coat and the thinner jacket underneath. Felix sits up, their limbs tangling together like muscle memory. Their breathing falls into a nice rhythm and they sit in silence, staring at the weak fire. Felix’s head rests on Sylvain’s shoulder, his hands playing with the hem of Sylvain’s sweater.

“Earlier, you did have a weird look on your face,” Felix says, breaking the silence. “Were you...actually upset being in the cold for too long? I know you hate it.”

Sylvain cranes his neck to glance at the top of Felix’s head. “Nah, it wasn’t that, don’t worry. I just remembered something that’s all.” He wraps his other arm around Felix and sighs. Sylvain lets the words simmer in his chest instead of coughing them up like hot embers. Maybe later, he likes the moment as it is. 

Felix shifts away, so they’re eye level. He narrows his golden eyes. “I don’t like prying, but I know you’re bottling up right now.” He gently pokes Sylvain’s chest. “So spill. Or you’ll implode later.” Sylvain breaks away from their gaze back to watch the fire. It’s gotten bigger, settling into consuming the wood now that it ate the kindling. Sylvain sighs and lets Felix pull him close.

“I was...thinking about the last time I was asked to get firewood,” Sylvain begins, his tongue dry. Felix says nothing, but starts playing with the ends of Sylvain’s hair. That usually means he’s listening. “It was the first time I was here. Rodrigue asked me that time.” As he talks, still images of the memory pop into his mind. His old red gloves. The throbbing aches from the cold because his body was weak. The splinters.

“Hold your breath for a second,” Felix mutters. Sylvain didn’t even notice his breathing changing. He holds his breath for a moment and exhales slowly. His body relaxes more against Felix.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. The last time was when I just helped you move out Glenn’s old stuff to storage.” Sylvain suddenly lets out a scoff. “I was the one holding you back then. Now it’s the opposite.” Felix stops playing with his hair.

“Was the memory sad?” Felix asks.

Sylvain thinks for a moment. “Not sad, just…” He could never find the words to label these kinds of emotions.

“What did you feel?”

“I felt pain. I was in bad shape as a kid, remember? I was always in pain.”

Felix doesn’t respond right away. “That was never your fault,” he whispers. His grip suddenly tightens around Sylvain. “You’ve always been strong and warm. You were damn clumsy, and got in trouble, but that wasn’t your fault.”

Sylvain lets the words wash over him. Another memory tries to surface, and Sylvain hesitates on letting it fully emerge. Now is not the time to have a breakdown. If he lets one in, the others tend to follow like a swarm of bees.

“You don’t have to keep talking about it,” Felix says.

“Yeah, I’m good right now...are you hungry?”

Felix only squeezes him in response. “No, I’m not warm enough yet.”

So they stay on the couch until Sylvain has to get up to toss another log in the fire.

…

By nightfall, the cabin was warm and they both headed to bed after dinner. Sylvain made some pot stickers and pasta, while Felix complained about Sylvain’s amateur culinary skills. Sylvain had told him to go into town then if he didn’t like his cooking. Felix had a second plate instead. When they headed to the bedroom, Felix decided to bathe first. Sylvain busies himself filling up a few drawers with his belongings. There’s a bookshelf in the master bedroom, and Sylvain skims the titles, most of them he can’t recognize. Maybe he’d get a lot of reading done during this trip. He opens another drawer and his eyes widen. A few faded photographs of the Fraldarius family.

Sylvain sits on the bed, suddenly giddy with his discovery. There’s a couple formal photographs from when Glenn was still alive. There’s one of just Felix, bundled up as ever next to a snowman. There’s someone out of frame, probably Glenn. He flips to another photo. Glenn and Ingrid on a sled, when she had stayed with them.  _ Right, _ Sylvain recalls,  _ it was the same year-- _

The water shuts off in the bathroom and Sylvain snaps to attention, smoothly putting the photos back in the drawer and shutting it close. He goes back to organizing his clothes as Felix steps out of the bathroom in his robe.

“Water is pretty warm, thankfully,” Felix says. He finishes wrapping his hair in a towel, twisting it neatly around his head. Sylvain always wonders how he does that. He points to the drawer with his chin.

“Found something in there,” he says. Felix frowns, walking over and opening the drawer. His frown deepens as he looks through the photographs. But he stops at one, probably the one Sylvain didn’t get to. He hands it over to Sylvain.

“Keep this one,” he says. Sylvain takes it and stares. It was an odd angle from behind the cabin, probably the photographer not wanting to be seen. But it’s a photo of Sylvain and Felix, sitting on a log and talking. Sylvain used to be covered in bandages back then. Something comes up in the back of his mind, and the story he’s telling Felix in the photo comes back to him.

“I was telling you the story of how I broke my arm,” Sylvain says. “I exaggerated it of course.” 

Felix kicks him softly. “Yeah, and I ate it up. No way you fought off three foxes.”

“There were foxes there, I promise. I never fought them off though.”

“The truth really does sting.”

They both laugh. Sylvain tucks away the photo in his wallet, making sure it wouldn’t be misplaced. Felix tugs on his arm.

“Come to bed.” 

Sylvain lets Felix drag him into bed and they get under the covers. Sylvain promptly tugs off his own shirt and tosses it to the ground.

“You can’t be overheating already,” Felix says.

“No one wants sweaty Sylvain,” Sylvain says. “Well, unless it’s in context.”

“You’re so gross.”

“And you see past it,” Sylvain says. He reaches over and turns off the lamp. Felix presses against his bare skin, smelling of soap. Sylvain turns on his side and drapes an arm over Felix. Sleepiness seems to rush to him tonight. His insomnia has its moments of mercy. For this trip, he hopes he avoids nightmares. 

  
  


. . .

_ 14 Years Ago - Felix _

Felix had lost track how long he had been wandering around for. It was starting to get dark and it was too cold. His feet and hands hurt from the wind, and snot was frozen over his upper lip. He had already called out for Glenn. Felix started to tremble at the thought of a bear finding him first.

He stumbled around, using the trees to lean on to help him lift his boots through the snow. Ahead of him he couldn’t see, he squinted through the frosty wind but couldn’t see past branches. His tears stung as they clung to his eyelashes, and he wiped a sleeve over his face. Suddenly, he heard a faint voice. 

Glenn? Someone called, the wind carrying disjointed words.

“Hey!”

Felix whirled around, his eyes wide and searching.

“Glenn!?”

“Hey kid!”

Felix’s eyes latched onto a halo of red hair yards away to his left. Relief filled his body and his knees nearly buckled. It wasn’t Glenn but at least it wasn’t a bear. He wiped at his eyes again and when he looked up, the red-haired stranger was jogging towards him.

“Are you lost?” The boy stopped in front of Felix, a burgundy scarf tucked under his chin. His red hair poked out randomly, and was tied in a tiny ponytail. His cheeks and nose were bright red from the cold, but his hazel eyes were bright and warm. 

Felix nodded. It struck him that he did know this older boy. He’s from House Gautier. “I’m Felix Fraldarius,” he said.

The boy beamed and pointed at him. “Oh, right! Glenn’s baby brother! We’ve talked before. I’m Sylvain.” He reached out a gloved hand, his eyes narrowing in concern. Felix then noticed the bandages on his neck peeking under the scarf. “Come on, let’s get out of the woods.” 

Felix took his hand with both of his and was shocked at the warmth. As they trudged through the snow, Felix pressed close to Sylvain’s side.

“Are you cold? Don’t worry, I know a path to town. I’ll get you warmed up!” Sylvain smiled down at him, a snaggle tooth poking out against his lower lip like a fang. 

Felix stared at him in a daze. Felix was reminded of those princesses saved from monsters in the books Glenn would read him. Is this how it felt, being rescued by a white knight? A flower of warmth bloomed in his chest. 

Sylvain started picking up the pace. “I know this great place for hot cocoa. The lady there was really nice, she gave me a free drink. Maybe she’ll remember me and give you a free drink too.” Felix was starting to get excited, he hadn’t had cocoa in awhile. Glenn usually drinks tea and doesn’t like sweet things so Felix didn’t eat sweets that much. Usually Ingrid would bring snacks with her when she visited. Dimitri wasn’t big on snacks though. 

Felix noticed the woods thinning out and as Sylvain pulled him up a slope, they could see the road ahead. Felix could almost pass out from the fear finally leaving his body. The sun was long gone, the moon in the distance but still bright enough to light their way. In the distance, lanterns started to appear. 

Their boots met gravel, and the path was vaguely familiar to Felix. He thought his family may have taken this path to town before. Maybe Glenn would be around here. Still holding hands, they fell into a nice pace, swinging their arms. 

“We’ll be there soon, just like four bends in the road,” Sylvain reassured.

Felix nodded and sneezed. They stopped and Sylvain let go of his hand to reach into his pocket to procure a handkerchief. 

“No boogies,” Sylvain said and held the handkerchief to Felix’s nose. Felix blew and took the handkerchief to clean up. 

Felix frowned. “Sorry, I ruined your handkerchief now.”

Sylvain laughed, a puff of white cloud escaping his mouth. “It’s what it’s for! Keep it, I have a million at home.” He held out his hand for Felix to take again. Felix glanced down at the blue handkerchief, the initials ‘SJG’ stitched in gold letters in a corner. What was the ‘J’ for?

A while later, they finally made it to the town entrance, greeted by lanterns, people, shops, and stalls. They beelined for the huge fire pit first, and both boys breathed in relief at the warmth. Sylvain took off his scarf and held it out in front of the fire, watching the snow melt away. Felix couldn’t help it and glanced at his neck, the bandages even more visible. The skin around it looked irritated.

“Did you get hurt?” Felix asked, taking off his gloves to hold in front of the fire too. Sylvain stiffened, one hand touching his neck. 

He turned to smile at Felix. “Don’t worry, I’m really clumsy.” He paused for a moment. “Felix, how old are you now?”

“I’m 9.” Felix narrowed his eyes. “Did you fall from a tree or something?”

“Something like that,” Sylvain laughed. He jabbed a thumb at his chest. “I’m 11.”

Felix’s eyes widened. “You’re almost as old as Glenn! He’s 13.” Felix tilted his head. “You have a brother too, right? He looked way older than mine.”

“Yeah, he’s 17.”

Felix turned back to the fire, his gloves now dry. “I can’t wait to catch up to my brother. Father says he might get knighted soon.” He slipped on his gloves and flexed his fingers, smiling. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I finally beat him at sword fighting.” 

But Sylvain said nothing. Felix turned to see Sylvain with a blank expression, busying himself shaking out his scarf. But instead of putting it around himself, he draped it around Felix’s shoulders, wrapping it snug around his chin. 

“Do you want to be a knight too?” Sylvain asked.

Felix nodded, adjusting the scarf. “I want to be a good fighter. Glenn always looks so cool.”

Sylvain smiled, and this time Felix noticed his dimples. “I’m sure you’ll be just as good as him. Well, let’s go get some cocoa!” Sylvain offered his hand again and Felix took it, and they headed over to a small stall near the opposite end of the street. There weren’t that many people out right now, but Felix had heard his father complaining of the adults who like to drink late.

There was a petite woman with blonde hair, preparing something. When she looked up, she broke out into a grin. “Hey, kids! I see the ‘fox boy’ has returned.”

Sylvain laughed and waved his hand in the air, almost to wave away the comment. “No more foxes this time! But my buddy here was out lost in the cold and needs something to warm his tummy.”

The woman pouted and looked at Felix. “Oh, darlin. Don’t you worry boys, let miss Rosa take care of y’all.”

“I hope you two have got money,” said a voice behind them. Felix squeaked and they both whirled to see a boy with dark hair pulled up into a bun, arms crossed and gold eyes squinting.

“Glenn!” Felix said, throwing his arms around his brother’s waist.

“Hey, Glenn! Perfect timing,” Sylvain said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Glenn peeled Felix off of him and looked at Sylvain with a raised eyebrow. Glenn was only slightly taller than him. “You found my brother in the woods?”

Sylvain nodded. “Poor little guy was calling out your name. Don’t worry, I managed to get him here before the frostbite set in.”

Felix stiffened. “Frostbite?”

“Don’t scare him,” Glenn scoffed. “But thank you. My father would’ve gotten all paranoid if he found out Felix tried to follow me. He was supposed to stay at the cabin since our parents are out.” He glared at Felix who shrank at his side, but he gave him a gentle pat on the head. “What were you even doing? You know it gets too cold for you.”

“I wanted to watch you train,” Felix frowned.

“I wasn’t even training,” Glenn mumbled before turning his attention back to Sylvain. “Anyway, I’m glad you were in the area and found him. So do you have money or are you trying to scam women again?”

“Glenn, this lady here is only showing us kindness to us poor kids!” He placed a hand over his heart. “How could we refuse?”

“Where’s Miklan?”

Sylvain’s playful grin dropped. “Not here.”

“So you don’t have money.”

Sylvain’s eyes dropped to his feet. “...no. I don’t. I spent my money on these.” He gestured vaguely to his neck.

Glenn took a step forward to look. “Bandages? They couldn’t cost that much.”

“...stitches do.”

Glenn stared at him. Felix looked between them, confused.

“Did your--”

The hot cocoa lady cleared her throat. “Well boys, are you getting drinks or not?”

Glenn turned to her. “Yes, three hot cocoas please.” He fished around his pocket for money and tossed it on the counter. He turned back to Sylvain, who was fidgeting with his gloves. “So, how did it happen?”

Sylvain glanced up, shrugging. “I trip pretty easily. Me and Miklan were walking along a trail. I slipped down a hill and fell on my back. Miklan told me to go into town to get patched up so I did. I was trying to get back on the trail when I found Felix.” A chill seemed to run down his body.

Felix perked up and unwrapped the scarf, handing it back to Sylvain. He took it with a small smile and looped it around his neck. “That must’ve hurt really bad,” Felix said. 

Sylvain nodded. “It did. But the nurse here patched me up real good. I’m okay now so wipe those looks off your faces.”

Felix couldn’t help the sadness he felt, but then he saw Glenn’s face. He had that kind of look when analyzing a fight, his eyebrows drawn together and his mouth a tight line. 

“If I recall correctly, The Gautier’s cabin is a couple miles away. You’ll freeze to death walking there at night. Come stay with us tonight. Father won’t mind another guest.”

Felix beamed at the idea. “Yes! Sylvain, please! Ingrid is over too but I’m sooo bored! Come hang out with me!”

Sylvain laughed and honestly Felix really liked hearing him laugh. Glenn was always too serious. “Thank you, but I run pretty warm. I’ve been out in worse weather.”

“Here ya go!” They all turned to the woman handing out their hot chocolate and grabbed them with overlapped thank yous. 

Before Sylvain could even take a sip, Glenn got into his personal space. “You’re not going to make it far with those wounds. You took a fall, you must be exhausted. Don’t be stupid and come back with us. Our cabin is much closer.” Glenn made it sound like there really was no other option.

Sylvain shifted on his feet but eventually nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’ll have to explain to my parents I’m still alive tomorrow morning then.”

Felix thought that was a weird response, but he held onto Glenn’s sleeve as they walked away, the cup burning Felix’s hand through his glove. He was already impatient to wait for it to cool down and took a sip, flinching as it burned his tongue. Sylvain sipped calmly at his drink. Was he immune to heat too?

  
  


When they arrived at the Fraldarius cabin, the stars had appeared in the sky and the moon was full. Sylvain and Felix both finished their drinks, but Glenn didn’t even take a single sip from his own. As they stepped onto the porch, Glenn handed his over to Sylvain. “I don’t like sweets. But you do, right? Ingird mentioned something before.”

Sylvain beamed and took it gratefully. “Thanks, Glenn. But you didn't even try it?”

“Don’t need to,” Glenn said as he knocked on the door. “They should be home by now.”

The door creaked open as if on cue, and a man stood in the doorway. His gold eyes shifted directly to Sylvain and his eyebrows shot to his hairline.

“You’re Gautier’s child. What are you doing here?”

“Sylvain is staying for the night,” Glenn said curtly. 

Their father looked down at Felix. “Did you invite him over?”

Felix nodded and Sylvain did a short bow. “If Duke Fraldarius says it’s okay.” 

“Of course it is,” Glenn pushed past their father and the boys followed, the Duke shutting the door behind all of them. The cabin was warm and Felix got goosebumps from the temperature shift. They all tugged off their boots and hung up their coats by the door.

“Are you guys home?” a girl’s voice called. A blonde girl ran out of the kitchen and threw her arms around Glenn’s waist. She opened her eyes and was shocked to see Sylvain. He merely raised a hand in greeting. 

“Sylvain!? Why are you here?” Ingrid got off of Glenn and put her hands on her hips. “I swear, if you came here to ruin my vacation--”

“He’s here for Felix, Ingrid. Anyway, it’s for the night.” Glenn patted her head.

“Sylvain, may I take a look at that?” Father said, gesturing to Sylvain’s neck. He had hung up his scarf with his jacket. 

Sylvain tried to cover it with his hand. “It’s nothing, sir. Just a scratch.”

“You said you needed stitches,” Glenn crossed his arms. Ingrid looked between them now, looking concerned instead of offended by Sylvain's presence.

“You’re hurt? I can help change the bandages,” Ingrid said, now at Sylvain’s side too. He stepped away from her.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about me.”

“You’ll get an infection!” Ingrid ripped away Sylvain’s hand from his neck. “Let me do this or I won’t leave you alone all night.”

“Aw, that’s not so bad--” Ingrid flicked his forehead, and Felix could hear her finger connecting to Sylvain’s skin. He groaned, his other hand flying to his face. “Ingrid!”

She turned sharply and yanked him along with her to the kitchen. Father smiled to himself and followed after them. Glenn sighed and turned to Felix.

“You should get ready for bed. I’m going to bathe.” They both headed upstairs, and Felix could hear Sylvain and Ingrid bickering. He vaguely remembered when he had seen Sylvain with the others at Fhirdiad. He remembered Ingrid had yelled at him too back then, but Felix was glued to Dimitri’s side then. He didn’t really know Sylvain until now since he didn’t really come with his family when they visited for important events. Felix had seen Sylvain’s brother, Miklan, plenty of times though. He seemed kind of scary, but Glenn had commented that he was a good fighter. They didn’t look that much alike, other than their red hair. Sylvain was pretty, the same way Dimitri was. Miklan had looked like a man already.

Felix went into his and Glenn’s shared bedroom and changed into his nightgown. He could hear the water turn on the bathroom next door and decided to go back downstairs. If Sylvain was here, he didn’t want to be alone upstairs. As he headed to the kitchen, it was quiet other than the crackling fire in the fireplace.

Felix rounded the corner from the living room into the kitchen and saw all three sitting at the table, Sylvain with his sweater and shirt off, wincing in pain as Ingrid was dabbing at his stitches. Father sat across from them, going through their medical bag. Felix stared at the scratches going down Sylvain’s left shoulder blade, the stitches on his neck and left shoulder. There were fresh bruises too on his lower back.

Ingrid dropped a bloody cotton ball into a cup and soaked a new one in antiseptic. “You’re really stupid,” Ingrid muttered.

“Yeah, I know,” Sylvain said, tensing at her touch. Felix walked up to the table and sat next to Sylvain. He barely glanced at Felix. “I told you I’m really clumsy. Nasty fall.”

“You said you slipped down a hill and into a ditch?” Father asked, pulling out some gauze. Sylvain nodded. “And your brother just told you to go to town, in that condition and alone?”

Sylvain just stared at the table, flinching again at the pain. “He was going out to hunt, I only followed him because I was bored. It was my own fault, and I stopped most of the bleeding myself anyway.” Felix only now noticed the rust colored fabric on the table. He had used that to walk all that way to town?

Ingrid took a tin of something and started putting some kind of ointment on the wounds. “It’s good you got stitches, but your other wounds are infected.”

Sylvain gritted his teeth as Ingrid finished her application. She took the gauze from father and raised Sylvain's arm, wrapping him up. Felix watched as she carefully pinned it at his shoulder. She put some clean bandages over his stitches. “There.”

“Thanks, Ingrid,” Sylvain said, rolling his shoulder. 

Father watched for a moment, that same look in his eyes that Felix saw in Glenn’s. Why are they analyzing Sylvain so much? In that moment, Sylvain turned to Felix with a smile on his face. “Well, now that’s over we can hang out now.” Felix smiled back and got up, Sylvain putting back on his sweater. Ingrid took his shirt, which was bloodsoaked, and put it in the waste bin. 

“Wait just a minute, boys,” Father said. “You both haven’t had dinner yet. Ingrid helped me make something for you all.”

They turned to Ingrid, who gestured for them to go ahead. “I’ll clean up and wait for Glenn. Go eat.”

Pan fried fish with vegetables never tasted so good after a long day. He and Sylvain ate quickly before heading upstairs, bumping into Glenn who was heading downstairs in his nightgown, wet hair loose around his shoulders. When they got to the room, Sylvain sat on Felix’s bed as Felix got out his toys. He gestured to them shyly. “Wanna play knights?”

Sylvain smiled at the dolls and lowered himself slowly to the ground, careful with his wrapped arm. Felix handed him over a doll and set the scene.

“Okay, so pretend that I’m on a mission to the outskirts of Faerghus. I’m looking for some nasty bandits, led by a famous bandit leader.” He points to Sylvain. “You be the bandit leader.”

Sylvain smirked. “So I’m the bad guy?”

“Yeah. For this play. We can switch later if you want.”

Sylvain nodded. “Ok, I’m in.”

. . .

They played for about an hour before Glenn opened the door right as Sylvain was dramatically dying. 

“‘I curse your name and your children,’” Sylvain said, fake choking on blood. “‘I hope you may never meet the gods. And the day you die, you will remember my face.’”

“Wow, great monologue,” Glenn commented as he sat on his bed. “Lights out. Felix, put your toys away. Sylvain, I’ll show you your guest room.”

Felix pouted, he really liked playing with Sylvain. Glenn never got this into character when playing. Felix would usually play by himself. But he took Sylvain’s dead bandit and his knight and put it in his toy bin. 

“That was fun, we can play more tomorrow,” Sylvain said as he got up. “But you’ll be the bandit next time.”

Felix nodded as he watched both older boys leave. He got into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He could hear their footsteps fade and after a few moments, Glenn came back into the room. Glenn subconsciously went to Felix’s bedside and tucked him in before flopping onto his own bed. It was quiet, but Felix could feel the weariness finally settling in and he drifted to sleep. He dreamt of red hair and chocolate.


End file.
